Pianist/Percussionist Danny Holt Premieres New Works

Pianist/percussionist and faculty member Danny Holt (Music MFA 06) has spent much of the last 10 years perfecting his Piano/Percussion Project: a collection of more than 20 pieces that places Holt at a piano among an array of percussion instruments. On Sunday at 5 pm in The Wild Beast at CalArts, Holt performs new works for his unique multi-instrumental setup that shows off his ability to multi-task. The performance, which includes chamber accompaniment, will also be filmed as part of a new documentary film about Holt’s work.

Sunday’s concert features solo piano/percussion works by composers and CalArts faculty Ulrich Krieger and David Johnson as well as alumnus Milen Kirov. More about the concert in an email from Holt:

Johnson’s Antar’s Revenge–inspired by a 6th century Arab poet/warrior–extends the piano with bells, cymbals, and other metallic sounds, creating swirls of exotic colors. Aegri Somnia, by Kirov, is a groovy setting of Bulgarian folk music for piano and drums. Krieger’s Oberfläche (receiving its world premiere performance) paints a mesmerizing picture of the surface of the open ocean.

Holt says that Krieger’s new work expands the resonance of the Wild Beast’s Yamaha 9-foot piano by using cymbals, tam tam, glockenspiel, among other instruments—all while the piano’s sustain pedal is pressed throughout the piece. Much of the composition is unplayable according to Holt, with 12-15 layers of music happening simultaneously at times. As a result, Holt is forced to make creative decisions on how to realize the score.

“Performing with this setup has caused me to reinvent how I play piano and how I learn a new piece,” says Holt. “Practicing is especially intense and involves a lot of very careful, often tedious work as I negotiate the complex choreography of piano, percussion, foot pedals, mallets, page turns, etc. Plus, I have to put up with the chaos of percussion instruments strewn over much of my living and dining rooms.”

24700 is CalArts' online space dedicated to sharing news and work of the larger CalArts community from around the world. The blog captures stories of the exploration of new forms and expressions in the arts by our students, faculty, staff and alumni.

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